Trade Laborers Desperately Needed as Blue Collar Jobs Remain Unfulfilled 

Traditional blue collar workers are in desperate need as many U.S. employers search for skilled labor or trade workers.

“You’re not just a widget manufacturer. You’re not just an excavation company. You are building America. You’re building a future for your family. You’re learning the work ethic that leads to good souls for your kids. There’s more to it than just work,” RedBalloon CEO Andrew Crapuchettes told Fox News Digital.

Since the start of 2023, there have been more than 770,000 skilled job postings from nearly 95,000 employers across the country, according to data collected from PeopleReady Skilled Trades.

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“Blue-collar” jobs, including appliance technicians, plumbers and homebuilders are desperately needed in the U.S. labor market as employers are looking to fill skilled labor positions.

According to data points from the study, the demand for carpenters has gone up 23 percent between March and May, while stonemasons reportedly increased to 45 percent with demand for construction laborers rising 18 percent within the same time period.

“Masons, electricians, plumbers, it’s a very varied industry, the building trades,” Gateway Plumbing & Heating owner John Cataneo reflected. “It’s good, honest work, and the pay can be very good. Plus, there’s overtime and benefits, and the unions do a good job of training their members.”

The small business owner pointed out that younger generations aren’t encouraged enough to explore hands-on jobs in the same way that he experienced growing up. The 54-year-old remembered learning his trade craft from his father.

“Kids wanted to do that. Parents wanted their kids to become a tradesperson,” Cataneo said. “It used to be that people had a job and they stayed there for 20 years or something.”

Cataneo noted that many younger workers tend to have quick turnarounds.

“There’s just people that don’t want to go into this space. They don’t want to be doing construction. They don’t want to be doing long hours out in the sun or out in the cold winter,” Crapuchettes added. “But we need people who are going to build houses. I’m less concerned about the frequent housing booms and busts that are associated, because we don’t have enough people to get the job done.”